Car-coupling



(No Model.)

N. H. BROUN.

GAR COUPLING.

ytented Feb. 23,1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC NICHOLAS HARLESTON BROUN, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TO EDYVARD M. HUDSON, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,791, dated PebruaryZS, 1886.

Application filed September 30, 1895. Serial No.178,646. (N modelJ To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS H. BROUN, of Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

t My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplers.

The object is to provide an improved construction of the drawhead, whereby the free end of the link may be held in different verti- I 5 cal adjustments.

A further object is to provide an automatic gravity-lock and means for preventing accidental displaoe'rnent,and for uncoupling with out danger to life and limb.

A further object is to provide an effective, reliable, and inexpensive coupler adapted to use in connection with both passenger and freight cars.

\Vith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of one of the draw-heads and coupling 0 devices in vertical longitudinal section in coupled adjustment. Fig. 2 represents the same in position to couple, and Fig. 3 is a View in end elevation.

A represents the draw-head. It is preferably cast in one piece, and is provided with an oblong slot, B, open at the top and front end and terminating at the front in a bell-shaped mouth, I), for the purpose of guiding the end of an approaching link into the slot B.

0 O is the coupling-link. The link is some what wider than the slot B, and in order to receive it and also to adjust it the draw-head is recessed on the opposite sides of the slot B, as shown at a. The recesses a are wider than the thickness of the link, and the general course of the recess is downward as they recede from the month. At the point where they unite with the mouth b the recesses are widened, funnel-shaped, to guide the end of the link therein. It will be readily seen that by placing the link at different distances within the recesses its outer end will be caused to assume different altitudes to suit the approaching draw-head.

D represents the coupling-pin,whichin this instance is more properly a tumbler, and con sists of a flat piece of metal provided at its front with a depending projection, d, adapted to engage the link, and a projection,d,adapted to form an abutmentfor the end of the lock- 5 ing-dog E. The tumbler is rounded from the abutment d to the rear lower corner to admit of the dog E sliding smoothly thereon as it rocks into locked adjustment. The tumbler D is pivot-ally secured on a transverse pin, F, 6 the pivotal point of the tumbler being lo cated in such a position that the weight of the portion to the rear of the pivotal point will be greater than the weight of the portion in front of the same, whereby gravity alone will hold the tumbler in uncoupled adjustment and ready to be rocked into coupled adjustment by the approaching link. The dog E is secured at its rear end on a rock-shaft, G, journaled transversely in the draw-head, as shown, 7 5 the ends of the shaft extending laterally to points within easy reach from the side of the car, and are there provided with hand-wheels or other form of operating-lever, g. WVhen in a position to be coupled, the dog E rests on the front of the tumbler, the projections d and d pointing, respectively, toward the front and rear. The approaching link, as it strikes against the portion of the tumbler between the recesses a, rocks the tumbler over toward the a; front, thereby inserting the projection d through the link and lifting the free end of the dog E over the end of the projection d until it falls by gravity behind the abutment or projection d, and hence locks the tumbler in 0 coupled adjustment.

To uncouple, the dog E is lifted by rocking the shaft G until its free end rises above the abutment (1, when the tumbler, either by gravity alone or by the pull of the adjacent car, acting in conjunction therewith, rocks into the uncoupled position above described, and the car is released.

To look the dog E against accidental displacement, I provide a pair of arms, H, extending forwardly from the cross-beams I, the ends of which are adapted to loosely embrace the shaft G, and are provided with perforations h, which register with perforations tin the shaft G. A pin or pins, K, secured by short chains to the cross-beam, are adapted to be inserted in the perforations h t when the dog is in position against the abutment cl, and thus lock the dog securely in position.

The tumbler when released is always ready for coupling, and when coupled is effectually prevented from accidental displacement. The operator is not obliged to run any risk of being crushed, as he can operate the coupling either from the side of the car, standing on the ground, or on the platform; or by means of any of thewell-known expedients for changing the direction of motion the operating-lever may be carried to the top of the car and the dog operated from that point.

To enable the draw-head to be used in connection with the ordinary link, I provide a T- pin, L, extending vertically across the mouth of the draw head. If the variance in the heights of two draw heads be such as to render it difficult to couple with a straight link, the ordinary goose-neck link may be substituted.

It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; hence I do not Wish to limit myself strictly to the construe tion herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a draw-head provided with a slot open at the top and front end of the draw-head, said slot being narrower than the width of the link, of recesses extending from the mouth of the draw head rearwardly, and adapted to receive the connecting-link and hold the free end of the same at different heights, in-the manner and for the purpose substantially as set forth. 7

2. The draw-head provided with the gravity-tumbler, the gravity-dog, the slot, link-recesses, and the vertical T-pin, substantially specification in the presence of two subscrib.

ing witnesses.

NICHOLAS HARLESTON BROUN,

\Vilnesses:

R. WV. HALLETT, A. HUBBARD. 

